We Learn to Ski

Yesterday Joe and I trekked up to Crystal Mountain Ski Resort on Mt Rainier. We decided to try skiing, since one of our friends works as an instructor. Our friend Eric knew we were coming up, but didn't know if we'd end up trying skiing or snowboarding. While we waited around for the class to start, I wondered if we'd have trouble finding him. There are so many instructors, and so many different classes offered. Then from behind me I heard a loud "Yeeeeeeesssssss! You're wearing ski boots!" He found us. No problem.



I still can't believe how much I learned in that half-day lesson. I went from not knowing which end was up, and feeling very shaky, to being able to traverse the slopes with confidence that I wouldn't crash and burn. Not to say that I'm a super awesome skier, or that I didn't fall down. There were definitely times that I got going faster that I'd like, and those times brought a huge amount of panic. But I managed to remember the v-shape that slows skis down, and the fact that if I turned to one side for long enough I'd eventually be pointing sideways or even uphill, and I'd come to a stop. There were a couple times I almost ran into other skiers, but I managed to avoid smashing into them. A plus for me and for them.



We stayed on the Discovery lift, which is for beginners. There are other lifts that start from basically the same area, which means that at times skiers or snowboarders would come careening down the hill at crazy speeds. Here's one of the lifts that we didn't take:



This was our lift:



And because we are who we are, I leave you with a couple goofy pictures.





Thank you Eric for teaching us how to ski. =)